Air diverter

[eromran]

Thought i would share what i did to deflect the chips off project board. You can create enough air flow to send large chips across board if you would want but it is totally adjustable. I know some won't approve because its altering machine still under warranty but it is a easy fix if you have to send in and the idea works great but please give me your thoughts anyway. One drawback could have been restricting air flow out of muffler which was pointed out to me but the air flow was not restricted just diverted back into machine.
Next i thought about it being to hot of air being put back in to machine cause i know it sometimes fills pretty warm at muffler but by the time it gets to the end of tube it is very cool not warm at all. The first picture shows the pieces i use but you could easily add a air valve in line to control air pressure. I used a tee instead of a 90* angle in case i wanted to add another tube if you don't add another tube you would have to plug extra hole. After running it like you see it there really is no need for another tube so i just plugged it should have just used a 90*. The other black piece is just a air diverted but another 90* angle would work fine here also as you will see.
Picture 5 shows parts before installed
Picture 1 shows it attached on machine with muffler.
Picture 2 Shows the route i took ( tube not yet attached wanted to see how it worked first )
Picture 4 shows where i attached it on the inside again a 90* angle would work fine here.
As a side note the way it is set up here the more air that you keep from coming out muffler bag the more air goes through tube and with that size tube you still have plenty of air flow which you need ( that was also pointed out to me thanks) if not more to keep motor cool. Plus you are putting more air into machine which should keep things cool.
I know i have made a few assumptions but i think its worth exploring using what is already being generate and not having to use the compressor for this plus the extra airflow is such a benefit to me. You could also use this in conjunction with the setup of the air by the flex shaft like I've seen except you would not be using the compressor. This did work great for me and did a great job of keeping work piece completely clear and directing the chips to where they were sucked up but i would like some input and/or critique of idea.
I did not wright this as a how to by any means just a subject to talk about maybe improved on and then maybe ultimately dismissed completely, if that is the consensus. I would definitely not want someone new thinking me or anybody else on this forum was suggesting doing this until its been talked about and then still not if they thought it was doing to much that might void warranty.
As one more side note i did not really do this to my machine and the pictures are all fake. My lawyer made me say that last line. LOL
THANKS

[Kenm810]

Ed,

Very ingenious, using the machines own generated air supply to help clean it’s self.
If you have a chance while your carving a project see if any dust or chips begin to stick or accumulate on the outside of the clear tubing,
I’m just curious if any dust might get blown through the Plastic tubing and build up any kind of a static charge.
I’ll have to order an extra port adapter for myself to do a little tinkering with it.
Please keep us up to date on how your Air diverter works out.
And Thanks for sharing it info and photos with us.

[sirsumm]

I was thinking along the same lines. I was trying to figure out a way to use the exhaust from the machine to create a downdraft. I was thinking that perhaps there is enough flow to create a venturi effect similar to a carburetor. Anyone have any ideas?

[Cmdr.Rav]

I think it is a great ideal too, but I can't figure out where you attached the end to on the inside? Does it reduce anymore noise? Well I mean in theory since since you didn't really do it to your machine!! LOL ( That should make the lawyers happy!)

Rav

[eromran]

I think it is a great ideal too, but I can't figure out where you attached the end to on the inside? Does it reduce anymore noise? Well I mean in theory since since you didn't really do it to your machine!! LOL ( That should make the lawyers happy!)

Rav
I attached it on the keypad side right below the first ledge were sawdust usually gathers it kind of rides on the ridge below that shelf ( actually part of that shelf but where it dips down about an inch then back out.

[eromran]

I was thinking along the same lines. I was trying to figure out a way to use the exhaust from the machine to create a downdraft. I was thinking that perhaps there is enough flow to create a venturi effect similar to a carburetor. Anyone have any ideas?
Actually as i was hooking it up this way i had the bag off the muffler all the way so as to have maximum flow the other end of tee was plugged but there was still no measurable suction on hose.

[Cmdr.Rav]

Ed, you never did say if it reduced any noise?

Rav

[Ken Massingale]

As far as I can see that looks like a good solution. I have wondered about that darn shelf anyway. What's it for, and what are the two threaded holes in it for? If it had a slight downward slope the sawdust would slide off and get sucked out thru the DC port on the bottom.

[ChrisAlb]

Pretty cool Ed and very much the same as what I set mine up with some time back. The only difference is, instead of the muffler I tapped an elbow into the end of a my shop vac hose. With one end in the muffler hole and the other in the vac, the cut motor blows the dust right into the vac.

I DO NOT run the Shop Vac while the CW is. I just use it as a catch bucket with a filter. It works great. I never have any dust in the air and only a few specks laying here and there around the base of my CW. My basement stays very clean.

AND, it cuts the "motor whine volume" in half. I've been running it like this for months and motor temp is not a factor.

Still working on reducing the actual "wood cutting" noise but really, it's not bad enough to have concerned myself with.

[eromran]

Ed, you never did say if it reduced any noise?

RavSorry i missed your question but yes it did cut it down some to see how much take muffler off put hand over hole and that is about the sound (don't do that for long as that would restrict air flow, just long enough to hear the difference) as you can see Chris can ates to this I think as he beat me to the answer. Chris, another good idea with Vac you could actually turn it on during clean up and instead of a blower you would have another Vacuum source at the same spot.

[David Myers]

This my first attempt at an air diverter. I ran a quick carve and it worked very well. I have it regulated to 20 psi I have 2 more ports to add different placements for the air to blow. I have not worked out the final position of the tubes, so for now I have them stuck to the top pointing down at the center of the carve region and held in place with double sided tape. I have been working on this while I waited for parts for my machine. Now I'm up and running (when the machine is working, life is good) Hope you like the my design. I used a cheap Harbour frieght air regulator.

David

[Steven Alford]

So, in other words, you hook this up to an air compressor?
Do you find that it just blows the dust all over? Or does the air and dust still go out the muffler?

Steve

[David Myers]

In other words, I built an air diverter!

I also have a down draft box that the machine sits on. I did not show it in the pictures.
The air diverter works great in conjuntion with the down draft box. It blows the dust and debris off of the carving and it is then picked up buy my Delta dust collector hooked up to the down draft box under the the Carve Wright.
A few months ago I sent in pictures of a cheap down draft system that I built and it works very well also.
So in other words no the air diverter does not blow the dust all around and it does not go out thru the muffler.

David

[David Myers]

Sorry,

Yes it is hooked up to my air compressor. I have a large compressor that is plumbed thru out my work shop so a 20 psi stream does not cycle the compressor on very often.

David

[Dan-Woodman]

David
Nice idea. Just wondering why the output of the regulator is tee'd off with 2 inputs to your manifold. By the way , nice job with the plastic pipe for a manifold. Is that 1/4" plastic tubing with pushon fittings?
One other thing, if the red hose is PVC air line,be aware of static. PVC air hose is bad about static electricity.
later Daniel

[David Myers]

I built 2 of them 1 has only one input and the one in the picture has 2. I just liked the look of the double input. Yes it is 1/4" tubing with push on fittings. The rubber tube is not going to be the final supply lines I was going to replace it with clear tiegon tubes. Also, yesterday I picked up the small metal tubes at a Hobbie shop for the ends so I can bend them to get better placement of the air stream and I can solder or weld attacment points to mount inside the machine. I'm enjoying modifiying the machine almost as much as carving. My next project is a small stand with a built in down draft table (to replace the I built a few months ago) on locking casters. Harbour frieght has a small work station for $16.99 on sale and I can see it will be easy to modify. Then after that I may try to add fiber optics to run along the air tubes to bring light into the machine while its carving.
The list is endless (paint and chrome etc.. lol..).

David

[Dan-Woodman]

Sounds like you are going to have one de-lux ,lighted up,blow'en,supercharged 300 mph machine . super , you may have to add parachutes to slow it down.
Take some pictures along the way and keep us informed.
later Daniel

[David Myers]

Dan,

As I work things out I will post more pictures. Thanks for looking and the kind words. I hope someone can use and or improve and share. That's what this forum is about.

Thank God it's Friday...

David

P.S. I'm serious about the fiber optics in the near future, I think it will work out great?

[RayB]

O.K. I was inspired by the ideas in this thread (especially eromran's photos), and decided to see what I could come up with. In digging around the shop, I found a retired rubber Foredom flexshaft, and decided that would be a good start. I then noticed that 1/4" plastic tubing fit snugly inside of it, and that a nylon washer would do nicely as a retaining nut.

After drilling a hole in the muffler pipe, I found that the threaded end of my rubber hose screwed in so tightly that I decided the retaining washer wasn't even needed. I cable tied the hose to the CC flexshaft in two places, giving both support for the hose and the appearance that the new hose was actually part of the original machine design.

I attached a short length of plastic tubing using the old homing sensor screw, assuming that the sensor is, in fact, obsolete. Just in case I needed to reattach the sensor, I found that I could just push it to the rear of the machine ... it seemed to be happy there and would not interfere with any z movement.

As you can see in the last photo, I took advantage of the natural curve of the plastic tubing, so that air flow would always be directed at the point of carving.

All in all, I was pretty happy with the way it looks. Now I just have to design a new project to see if it actually works!
:)

[eromran]

O.K. I was inspired by the ideas in this thread (especially eromran's photos), and decided to see what I could come up with. In digging around the shop, I found a retired rubber Foredom flexshaft, and decided that would be a good start. I then noticed that 1/4" plastic tubing fit snugly inside of it, and that a nylon washer would do nicely as a retaining nut.

After drilling a hole in the muffler pipe, I found that the threaded end of my rubber hose screwed in so tightly that I decided the retaining washer wasn't even needed. I cable tied the hose to the CC flexshaft in two places, giving both support for the hose and the appearance that the new hose was actually part of the original machine design.

I attached a short length of plastic tubing using the old homing sensor screw, assuming that the sensor is, in fact, obsolete. Just in case I needed to reattach the sensor, I found that I could just push it to the rear of the machine ... it seemed to be happy there and would not interfere with any z movement.

As you can see in the last photo, I took advantage of the natural curve of the plastic tubing, so that air flow would always be directed at the point of carving.

All in all, I was pretty happy with the way it looks. Now I just have to design a new project to see if it actually works!
:)Hey, that looks great i was going to take that route but my homing sensor is there and didn't want to remove it, i new i seen a tread about not needing it but at the time could not find it to make sure. And i do like how yours looks original. When you do carve keep in mind the more air you keep from coming out muffler bag
the more that goes through diverter. I put a little more vinyl around the outside of my muffler to give the hose a little more pressure. Let us know how it works out when you get it like you want it.